Prom Night Memories
by crbmyenthusiasm
Summary: What happened on the night of his senior prom that Derek just can't bring himself to forget? And how does Casey figure into the story? NOW A TWO-SHOT! What exactly happened at their ten year reunion?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **This didn't turn out exactly the way I had planned, but whatever. I have Derek and Casey graduating from high school in 2008, because I've seen that date used in a couple of other fics, so I figured it was accurate enough. I also have their prom taking place in early May; I can't remember what day my prom fell on, so I made one up. The flashbacks are in italics.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Life With Derek.

OOOOOOOOO

At age thirty-nine, Derek Venturi's life was more perfect than it had ever been. He may not have been the king of his high school anymore, but he still ruled over all he encountered. He had the perfect job, he had just made partner at his law firm, he had the perfect wife, who in her late thirties was still as pretty as the day he had met her, and he had the perfect child, an eight year old son, who had inherited the best personality traits from both of his parents. Unlike most of his friends, Derek was genuinely happy; at least he was three hundred sixty-four days out of the year.

There was one day that always hunted him. One day that always had him running his family out of the house. One day that always had him opening a bottle of Grey Goose, putting their song on repeat, and parking himself on the couch. One day that always had him remembering what he had lost all those years ago, because he had been too afraid.

Prom night of his senior year, a day he would never forget, because he forced himself to remember, every May 2, of every year. Derek figured that if he never let himself forget what he had lost, and how much it had hurt to lose it, he would never make the same mistake again.

So here it was, May 2, 2028, and Derek was at it again.

_Walking into Casey's bedroom, Derek could only sigh in appreciation as he took in how different she looked all dressed up for prom. _

_He wasn't much for giving compliments, but he felt the urge to tell her how nice she looked. "Casey, you look beautiful."_

"_Thanks," she responded, as she continued applying her makeup. _

_Either ignoring, or not noticing, the coldness in her voice, Derek walked up behind Casey and began to rub her bare shoulders. "So, I figured that we can dance a few of the slower songs together," he began smiling, "fast dancing is out of the question, but if we stand a good distance apart nobody can find fault with us slow dancing. If anybody asks, we'll just say that our parents made us promise to dance together, or something."_

"_That's cool," she said, shrugging out of his hold. "Sam's taking me to prom, so you don't have to trouble yourself by saving me a 'few' dances." _

_Derek stumbled back in surprise. "What?" he said, spinning her around to face him. "I thought we decided to go stag so we could hang out together."_

_Casey's eyes widened and she seemed to snap._

"_No," she began, wringing her hands together in agitation, "you decided we'd go stag, remember? I wanted to go with my boyfriend." Her voice was steadily rising as she spoke. "You remember my boyfriend, right? He's about your height, your weight, in fact you two could be twins you look so much alike."_

_Derek's eyes darted into the hallway, before he kicked her door shut and locked it. "You need to calm down," he said sternly. "You're being ridiculous."_

"_I'm being ridiculous?" she question incredulously. "My boyfriend of two years openly dates other girls, and I'm being 'ridiculous'? He encourages me to string along his best friend, giving him hope that we may get back together one day, and I'm being 'ridiculous'? Right," she said sarcastically. _

"_You know why we can't go to prom together," Derek said, frustration clearly evident in his voice. "We'd get laughed out the school. You think klutzilla was bad, it's nothing compared to what people would call us if they knew we were dating."_

_Casey laughed bitterly, while silent tears fell from her eyes. "We're not dating. Dating would require you taking me out in public, something you've never done."_

"_Damnit Casey," he said roughly, resisting the urge to rub his hands through his heavily gelled hair. "Why are you doing this tonight, of all nights? Why deliberately pick a fight with me on the night of our senior prom?"_

"_I'm not trying to pick a fight with you. In fact," she said, sighing, "I want to put an end to the fights—the same arguments we've been having for the past few months."_

"_What do you mean?" he asked, worried that he already knew the answer._

_Reaching behind her neck she unclasped the chain she was wearing. Slipping from the chain, the promise ring that had lain hidden under her dress; she held it out to him, trying hard to ignore his pained expression._

"_Here," she said with feigned calmness._

"_What are you doing Casey?" He was too upset to be embarrassed by the way his voice held a note of desperation. "We've talked about this, that ring is just a place holder, something to save the spot of the engagement ring I'll get you one day." He backed away from her hand as if the thought of touching the ring disgusted him. "You promised" he said, determined not to let his own tears fall. "You promised to stay with me forever; we had plans for the future."_

"_What future?" To emphasize her point she threw the ring across the room. "How in the hell were we going to get married when you can't even bring yourself to tell anyone we're together? I am not going to live my life with someone who is ashamed to be with me, ashamed to tell anyone he loves me; that really would be ridiculous."_

_Derek was clutching his heart as if he was in physical pain and Casey was trying to reign in her emotions, when they heard Nora yell up the stairs, "Sam's here, Casey."_

_Turning away from Derek, she began wiping at her eyes, trying to bring herself back to rights. When she headed for the door, Derek was on her heels instantly. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he carried her away from the door. _

"_Let me go, now!"_

"_No," he replied simply. "Never."_

"_You don't have a choice," Casey said hotly, swinging her arms and legs around wildly, trying to get herself released._

"_The way I see it," Derek said through clenched teeth, having just had his shin impaled by her stiletto heel, "I do have a choice; it takes two to break up." _

"_You broke up with me a long time ago, I just made it official," she stated, matter-of-factly. _

_That got her released. Derek had no idea she felt that way. Sure, he knew she wanted to go public, and he knew she got frustrated with him sometimes, but this belief she seemed to have, that he didn't really want her, was unfathomable to him. _

"_I love you," he said, as loud as he dared. "Why can't you understand that? Why can't me saying it be enough?"_

"_Derek, I know that you think you love me, but saying the words isn't enough; you have to be willing to show me, you have to be willing to show the world."_

"_I want to," he said earnestly. "But, what about our parents, our friends, our teachers? What about the world, Casey? It's not me, it's society; I didn't make the rules."_

"_Our parents love us, they'll understand," she spoke with a sureness she didn't really posses. _

"_But what if they don't?"_

"_Then so what," she snapped, upset with the way he feared the censure of society. "They'll have to accept us eventually, and to hell with everyone else. We only have a few weeks left at that school; we won't ever have to see any of them again if we don't want to. So who cares what they think?" _

"_I do," he answered quietly. Grabbing her shoulders, he looked down into her eyes, willing her to understand. "I'm Derek Venturi. I'm the captain of the hockey team, I was the homecoming king, I was king of the spring dance, girls love me, and even the guys who hate me want to be me. I have never not been popular—never not been surrounded by a crowd of people who love me. You're asking me to possibly give that up. I love you . . ." _

"_But, you don't know if you love me enough for that," she finished for him. "That's okay," she said hollowly, slipping out of his grasp. "I kinda already knew, I guess I was just hoping that I was wrong."_

_This time, when Casey walked away, Derek didn't try to stop her. He knew he didn't have the right to try to keep her in his life, she did deserve better. But, knowing that she deserved better didn't stop him from wanting her. Knowing didn't keep his heart from breaking, and it sure as hell didn't prevent his tears from falling. _

_He could only hope that one day things would be different, and he would be able to be the kind of man she deserved. _

Coming out of his memories, the pain he had experienced that night felt so fresh, it was like he was nineteen again. Picking up the now half-empty bottle of vodka, Derek polished it off in one gulp.

As he lay passed out from too much liquor, his dreams were swimming with thoughts of Casey; he saw her smile, he saw her award winning performance from the senior talent show, her laugh was echoing in his mind, he even pictured her screaming his name, just like she used to when they were younger.

"Derek!" Casey yelled out in anger, as she caught sight of her intoxicated husband's form slumped against the couch.

Thank goodness she had left D.J. with her mom and George. This was the worst she had ever seen Derek, last year he had completely trashed his den, but at least he had been sober then.

She dropped her purse and the groceries by the door, before stomping over to the couch.

Kneeling beside him, Casey contemplated hitting him with his empty bottle, but settled for using her hand.

"Derek, wake up." Grabbing him by the shoulders, she shook him forcefully. "Come on Derek, get up."

She was about to get a cup of ice water to pour on him, when she felt him stir.

"Casey," he mumbled, "you came back."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course I came back, I live here."

"Please don't leave me again," he begged, turning and wrapping his arms around her. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Casey pushed him away, he never was a happy drunk, and she had had about all of this she was going to take.

Standing up, she began to pace the length of the living room.

"You have got to stop freaking out like this," she said, frustrated with the situation. "We haven't been apart since the reunion, and I'm not about to leave you now, so, please, stop. I'm sick of going through this every year."

Derek looked down at his feet. "I know, but—

"No buts," she interrupted, holding up a hand. "Just stop it."

Running a hand through her hair, Casey sighed, before heading for the stairs.

"Casey," Derek called out.

"What?"

"I love you."

Looking back at her husband, Casey sighed again. Yes, May 2, 2008, had been one of the worst days of her life. And, yes, Derek still hurt her, although it was in a different way, every second day of May that had followed their reconciliation.

But, she figured, one out of three hundred sixty-five wasn't bad.

"I love you too, Derek."

**The End**

**Reviews Are Always Welcome**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **So this sequel was a long time coming. A year ago today I posted my first LWD fic, so as a kind of present to all the people who have ever read my stuff I decided to finally do this. Thanks, guys, for all the support.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned this show Mike Seater's hair would return to its former glory—circa season one.

OOOOOOOO

"He was smashed, really?" Emily asked in surprise.

"Girl, I had to slap him to wake him up."

"I just can't believe it. I thought Derek had like a hollow leg or something."

"Apparently that's what he thought too," Casey responded wryly, before taking a sip of her strawberry shake. She and her best friend of over twenty years, Emily, were sitting at their favorite table at Tina's Diner, escaping the warmth and sharing gossip.

"DJ didn't see him like that, did he?" Emily asked, concerned for the child she thought of as a son.

"No, luckily I had left him with my mother. I knew Derek wouldn't be in any condition to see his son, I just didn't expect him to be drunk."

"Well, at least he didn't break anything this time," Emily rationalized, smiling slightly as she recalled what had happened three years ago.

Her comment had Casey's eyes narrowing. "Hey, if you're referring to my clown lamp, it's not funny," she said indignantly.

"He did you a favor; that lamp was hideous."

"That lamp really pulled the room together."

Emily's eyebrows shot up at that. That lamp was the tackiest thing she had ever seen—it bordered on creepy. "It gave your son nightmares."

"He would have grown out of them eventually," Casey shot back, waving a hand in the air dismissively.

Casey looked so huffy that Emily couldn't stop herself from laughing. After a minute, Casey felt her own lips begin to twitch in amusement and she joined in Emily's giggle fit.

"I'm sorry I got so defensive," Casey said, sobering as she wiped her now watering eyes. "It's just," she sighed, "I'm so tired of him doing this every year. If he's not drunk, he's breaking lamps, or burning photo albums, or busting out car windows."

"Car windows?" Emily repeated, perplexed.

"During the first year of our marriage he paid a visit to Jason's car; tried, but acquitted."

"How'd he get off?"

"No witnesses save me, and no proof. Without my testimony the prosecutor's case was dead in the water, and you can't make spouses testify against one another," Casey explained, shrugging off the tiny amount of guilt she felt at helping Derek get away with breaking the law. But when it came to choosing between her family and some trivial law, there really wasn't a choice at all.

"Jeez," Emily said, still in shock. "Have you ever considered couple's therapy or something?"

Casey drew her breath in, incredulous at Emily's suggestion. Apparently she had _not_ considered that option.

"We don't need _therapy_," she said as if the idea of it repulsed her. "He just needs to focus on the happy memories like I do."

"Like what?" Emily wanted to know. When Casey narrowed her eyes, Emily said, "Don't look at me like that, Casey. You've got to admit, you and Derek have had a very," she paused, searching for the right word, "volatile relationship, to say the least."

"Okay," Casey conceded. "But we've had good times too. What about the night we got back together? That's a nice memory."

Emily just stared at her a moment, waiting for the punch line. "Are you serious?" she asked scoffing. "Are we talking about the same night? For about three-fourths of the evening I alternated between thinking you were either going to have a panic attack or start a rumble."

"A rumble?"

"Well, wouldn't you, Derek, and your respective dates slugging it out constitute a rumble?"

Casey smiled contritely—that night had been hectic, and she was at least partly to blame. "Thankfully it never quite came to that."

"Yeah, it was just like a series of mini fights; that's much better," Emily said sarcastically.

"Okay, so maybe the night started off a little rocky, but everything turned out alright, sort of anyway."

"Sure," Emily said, pulling a face at Casey, "everything's been just peachy since you two got back together."

"Don't be such a killjoy, Em. The night of our high school reunion was the best night of my life," Casey said, sincerely.

_As soon as she saw Emily, Casey ran up to her jumping and screeching like a banshee. "Oh, Em, it is so great to see you. I've missed you so much," she gushed in a comically high voice._

_Emily regarded her oddly, before grabbing the paper cup out of Casey's hand and taking a long drink. "Hmm, I don't taste any alcohol so you're probably not drunk. Has being back in our old high school driven you so crazy that you forgot we just saw each other Thursday?"_

"_No, I just figured that I should jump around like an idiot since that's what everyone else is doing." _

_Emily gave a hearty chuckle at the obvious tone of annoyance in Casey's voice. "You really don't want to be here, do you?" _

"_And here I thought I was hiding my true feelings so well. Tell me, what tipped you off?" she asked sarcastically. Noticing the change in Emily's expression, Casey said, "Look, I'm sorry, but if one more bitch, who never would've condescended to speak to me in high school, asks me about Derek I'm going to scream."_

"_It's been that bad?"_

"_Do you think Derek will remember me? Is Derek still as hot as he was in school? He's not married, is he?" Casey said, repeating the questions that her former classmates had been bombarding her with for the past half-hour. "When Kendra asked me if it was true that 'he had made his first million before his twenty-seventh birthday,' it took everything in me not to punch her in the face." _

_Emily's brows came together in confusion. "Why is Kendra even here? She was a grade ahead of us."_

"_She came with Matt Shepherd, but I know that she's really her to try to sink her hooks into Derek, just like every other unmarried woman here."_

"_Okaaay, time for a new subject: where's Jason?"_

_Casey's eyes were rolling before Emily had even finished asking. "He's in the restroom checking his hair for the fiftieth time this evening. I swear, he's almost as conceded as Derek."_

"_And with good reason, he's fine as hell," Emily said emphatically. _

"_Emily," Casey said reproachfully, "you're a married woman."_

"_I may be married, but I'm not blind; your man is too cute." Emily began ticking off his finer qualities on her fingers, "he's got green eyes, hair so black it's almost blue, and the nicest smile--_

_Her list was interrupted by an impatient, but nonetheless amused Casey. "How long are you going to wax about Jason's charms?"_

"_I could go on all night if I wanted too," Emily responded gamely._

_Casey threw up her palms in defeat. "There's no need, I now how lucky I am. I'm just saying, if I wanted someone like Derek, I would've stayed with Derek."_

_Emily had known about the whole Derek/Casey relationship since a week after their senior prom. After Casey had sat in her room crying for seven days, Nora had called in reinforcements. It took a lot of tissue, strawberry ice cream, and chocolate turtles to coax the story of the prom night break up and the secret relationship that had preceded it out of Casey, but once she told Emily the truth Casey had felt much better. _

_Truth to tell, inwardly Emily had taken the news pretty hard; after all, she had been in love with the guy since she was five. But she put on a good front for Casey. There had been no point in bringing her own feelings for Derek into the mix, they were hardly relevant. And besides, a person would have had to have been blind not to see the obvious chemistry that existed between Casey and Derek._

_Emily was broken out of her thoughts when she noticed every head, at least every female head, turn towards the gym's entrance. "Uh oh, speak of the devil…"_

"_Who is it, Derek?" _

"_Yup, and he's not alone."_

_The humor in Emily's voice had Casey turning around to catch a look at Derek's companion. But instead of finding him with some vapid bimbo, she saw him chatting with Jason. Standing there laughing, bumping fists, and exchanging silly handshakes, they had the look of old friends. _

"_What on earth could they possibly be talking about?" _

"_There's only one way to find out," Emily said pointedly._

_Getting her bearings, Casey ran a quick hand through her hair and tugged at her dress, before marching determinedly towards the talking men._

_When she reached them she slid easily against Jason, making it clear that she was with him. _

"_Hey, Derek, I want you to meet my girlfriend—_

"_Casey," Derek said softly, finishing his sentence. All traces of friendliness were wiped from Derek's features. His face was suddenly a blank mask. _

_Noticing Derek's icy demeanor, Jason stumbled through, "So, um, you two know each other?"_

"_Not really," Casey answered with a voice as cold as Derek's face, "our parents are just married to each other."_

"_Oh. _Oh_," Jason repeated, realization dawning on him. "So you're that Derek," he said as he tightened his hold on Casey. _

_As a result of a night when Casey had one too many coolers, Jason knew all about the "Derek and Casey high school love affair" and their subsequent break up—a drunken Casey was a talkative Casey. _

_He had to admit that the idea of siblings, even stepsiblings, having a romantic relationship kind of weirded him out. But he had invested a lot in Casey and their relationship. Jason had sacrificed his own playboy status and given her the kind of commitment that Derek was unable to produce, and he wasn't about to let some awkward meeting at a lame high school reunion ruin his and Casey's future together. _

"_And what 'Derek' would that be?" Derek asked breaking Jason away from his thoughts._

_Taking notice of the way Derek's gaze slid languidly over Casey, as if he was trying to memorize all that had changed about her since the last time they had seen each other, Jason responded, "The Derek that had better stop eyeballing my girlfriend before—_

_But Jason never got to finish his threat because at that moment a stunning redhead literally sashayed up to Derek and grabbed hold of his arm as if she was afraid that she would float away without it._

"_Derry," the redhead purred, "aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?"_

"_Rachel," he began, against his better judgment, "this is Jason and Casey."_

_One night when Rachel had been pestering him about his past, specifically the large amount of it that he was withholding from her, he'd snapped and told her about his high school affair with his stepsister. He'd told her everything; including how he had planned on marrying Casey. As soon as he'd done it, Derek realized telling Rachel had been a stupid mistake. Now every time they argued--which was often--she would bring up Casey. Rachel was very vocal about her theory that Derek's inability to commit to her was a result of him still having a thing for his ex. _

_The friendly smile that had graced Rachel's lips when she approached the little group instantly died. Of course this was Casey. The look of longing on Derek's face; the possessive arm Jason had around his girlfriend's waist--it all made since now. _

_Rachel's instant dislike for Casey was easy to notice as she gave her an appraising look. "You're Casey?" she asked, feigning disbelief. "From the way Derek talked about you, I was expecting someone a little," she paused, shrugging, "prettier. Oh well, I guess even people with the best taste make a lapse in judgment sometimes," she said, laughing delicately._

"_I guess you're right." Casey smiled, seemingly unfazed by the dig. "I mean, only a lapse in judgment could explain why anyone would date a bitch like you," she said, gamely._

_Rachel's back stiffened at the insult. But her voice was calm when she replied, "better a bitch than a degenerate."_

"_A degenerate?" Casey sputtered indignantly. _

"_Well, wouldn't someone who throws herself at her step-brother be considered a degenerate?" she asked with mock confusion._

_Casey's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I've never thrown myself at anyone. Although," she looked her up and down, "I am seriously considering throwing my fist at your face."_

_Clearing his voice, Jason said, "And on that note, I think we'll take our leave." Nodding in Derek's direction, Jason placed a hand on Casey's arm and practically dragged her away._

_Once Casey and Jason were out of view, Derek disengaged himself from Rachel's vice-like grip._

"_What the hell was that?"_

"_What?" she asked, indignantly._

"_You know what; you were completely out of line," he told her, voice shaking with anger. "You're lucky she _didn't_ hit you, nobody would've blamed her. You were asking for it."_

_Rachel's hands sprung to her hips in a defensive gesture._

"_Yeah, well, you're lucky I don't pop you one."_

"_For what?" he asked, incredulously._

"_Oh, I don't know," she rolled her eyes, "maybe for ogling your stepsister, or for taking her side, or because you're still in love with her even though you're dating me."_

_He sighed. "I wasn't ogling anybody," he responded, choosing, noticeably, not to deny being in love with Casey._

_She gave a sigh of her own. "I know what I saw, Derek."_

"_Well, maybe you need a pair of glasses, because--_

"_And maybe you need a dictionary," she cut in, "because you obviously don't know the definition of ogling," Rachel snapped, before stalking off into the crowd, leaving a heated Derek to mull over all she'd said._

_OOO_

"_What's gotten into you?" Jason demanded of Casey once he had pulled her into a semi-secluded corner. _

"_Me?" she asked, incredulously. "I'm not the one dragging people all over the room." She began rubbing the newly reddened spot on her arm as if to demonstrate her point._

"_But you are the one who was about to fight a woman you don't even know because she's your ex's girlfriend."_

"_That had nothing to do with Derek. We were about to fight because Rachel is a bitch!" she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world._

_Jason's rolling eyes spoke to his disbelief. "Casey, please, I was there."_

"_And where is that? Siberia? Kuwait?" She clucked her tongue. "'Cause you sure as heck couldn't have been here since you obviously have no idea what happened."_

"_Sure I don't," he mumbled, sarcastically._

"_Ugh," she growled in frustration, "I can't talk to you when you're being like this."_

"_Like what?"_

"_Like the world's biggest ass," she answered readily. Folding her arms across her chest, she declared, "I'm going to fine Emily. Let me know if you decide to see reason," she snapped, before losing herself in the crowd._

_OO_

_Ten minutes passed and Casey still couldn't find her friend. Instead she had been forced to make small talk with a bunch of people she couldn't stand in high school and liked even less now._

_Feeling a tap on her shoulder, Casey turned around expecting to be met by another annoying former classmate._

_Well, she was right; it was Derek._

"_Casey," he murmured._

"_Derek," she whispered, breathlessly._

_They stared at each other for a long moment, each drinking in the sight of their former lover, hungrily, now that they were free of their significant others. After a minute, Casey blinked and seemed to return to reality._

"_Nice to see we still remember each other's names," she joked, weakly. "But I should really go find Emily, so… bye."_

_She hurried to leave, but Derek was too quick. His hand shot out, grabbing her arm and spinning her back to face him._

_That is why she had been avoiding him like the plague for the past ten years--she didn't want to have this moment._

"_Don't go," he begged. "Please."_

"_Derek, don't do this," she pleaded, voice trembling._

_Disregarding her words, he closed the already minimal distance between them._

"_I can't help it; you're just so beautiful," he told her, brushing a piece of hair out of her face._

_Casey's breath caught at the raw emotion in his voice, and Derek soldiered on--encouraged by her reaction. "Maybe we could--_

_But he was interrupted by the sound of someone tapping a microphone. Turning towards the stage, he was annoyed to see their former principal wielding a mic and note cards. This couldn't be good…_

"_If I could just have your attention for a moment," the principal said, "it's time to announce the King and Queen of the night. We have chosen the two people who best represent the type of greatness that can be achieved by someone whose attended Sir John Thompson Sparrow High," he announced, proudly._

_Casey's eyes rolled for what had to be the fiftieth time that evening. _'So much for the popularity contests having ended with high school," she thought in annoyance.

"_Your king is a man who needs no introduction," Principal Laceter declared, but went on to introduce him anyway. "He's one of the most successful defense attorneys in all of Canada." He laughed lightly. "I guess we all should've seen it coming; he did spend years talking his way out of being in trouble with me."_

"_Jesus," Derek swore. _

"_I give you your king, Derek Venturi."_

_The room erupted in applause. Everyone was clapping and smiling, except Casey._

"_Congratulations, Derek," she whispered just loud enough for him to hear, "I know how much your status means to you."_

_Derek wanted to respond but the crowd took over, rushing him onstage._

_Placing a crown on his head, the principal handed him the microphone._

_Usually Derek loved being the center of attention, but he just wanted this moment to end quickly. He desperately wanted to finish his conversation with Casey._

_Saying a quick "thanks," Derek nodded and tossed the mic back to Laceter._

_The principal regarded him oddly, but shrugged and continued with the presentation._

"_Now the level of success achieved by your queen came as no surprise to me and the rest of the faculty. Being class valedictorian and a member of the Honor Society probably pales in comparison to what she does now…_

"_Oh, no," Casey gasped, and tuned him out. She suddenly felt very sick. "How did they know?" she whispered to herself._

"_I told them," a newly arrived Emily answered, excitedly. "Surprise."_

_If looks could kill Emily would've been dead. Only a very select few knew Casey's secret, and as she tuned the principal back in Casey came to the horrible realization that everybody was about to know._

"…_Children around the world know her as bestselling author Princess M.--"_

_The crowd began to murmur excitedly. Everyone had heard of Princess M.; she had written the most successful children's series since Harry Potter; but nobody knew who she really was. She never gave interviews; rumor had it she was a total recluse._

"_--but you know her as Casey McDonald."_

_As thunderous applause began to echo throughout the room, Casey gasped in horror._

"_Go up there," Emily said, nudging her friend._

"_I can't," she whispered back, "not with him up there."_

"_Come on, Case, how many times have you told me you were over him?"_

"_I lied." Her face was flushed and her breathing was erratic. "I'm not over him; I'm not over any of it. Don't you get it? That's why I didn't want to come tonight, it hurts--physically hurts--to be near him."_

_Emily refused to let up. "Well, you'll never get over him if you don't face him. So. Go. Up. There." She hated having to be so stern with Casey, but this couldn't go on forever. Casey had been running for ten years, and it was time to stop. _

_Emily gave her friend one last push and was proud to see Casey square her shoulders and take her place on stage beside Derek._

_After taking one more calming breath, Casey said, "This was umm… definitely a surprise. But, thanks," she said, lamely. It wasn't much, but it was all they were going to get. Mimicking Derek's actions almost exactly, she tossed the microphone back to the dumbfounded principal._

"_Okay." Principal Laceter didn't really know how to respond to the short awkward speeches. His two former students looked so uncomfortable that he considered cutting things short, but ultimately he found that he couldn't be the one to break tradition._

_Addressing the miserable pair, he said, "Now, if you two would take your positions in the middle of the dance floor we can commence with the traditional dance."_

_Casey blanched and looked poised to protest. However, in complete contrast, Derek had to stop himself from grinning like an idiot. This was perfect, sort of anyway. The center of a dance floor, where a few hundred relative strangers would be watching, wasn't the ideal setting to talk to Casey, but he'd take it._

_Walking over to Casey, he placed his hand on the small of her back and ushered her off the stage before she could make a scene. She didn't make a move to escape, but he could feel the stiffness in her body when he wrapped his arms around her and waited for the music to begin._

_When the slow melody picked up they began to sway, somewhat awkwardly, to the music. The proximity of their bodies gave Derek the opportunity to restart their conversation from earlier._

"_I've missed you," he told her, bluntly. "Everyday since you walked out, I have missed you."_

"_Derek--_

"_And I know it was my fault; I drove you away," he admitted. "But if I could take it all back I would."_

"_Too bad you can't," she hissed, while trying to keep her expression calm for the spectators._

"_But, Casey--_

"_No, Derek," she cut him off. "You made your choice all those years ago and now you have to live with it."_

"_But I'm in love with you." Derek hadn't planned on saying that, but once the words were out of his mouth he knew they were true._

"_No you're not," Casey snapped back, no longer making any attempt to whisper. "You weren't even really in love with me when we were together, so how could you be now? After ten years."_

"_I was young and stupid, but I didn't ever not love you and you know it." _

_Clamping her lips shut, Casey frowned. Truthfully, she knew he had loved her when they were in high school; but he hadn't loved her enough, and she seriously doubted that he did now._

"_Casey?" He said, after a long moment. The song had to be almost over, and her silence was making him nervous. _

"_What would you like me to say, Derek?" She sounded tired and worn out, and that's exactly how she felt. _

"_I want you to say you'll give me another chance so you can see how I've changed." There, he'd put all his cards on the table. "I want to show you that I'm not that same boy anymore."_

_Giving a slight shake of the head, Casey said, "but I don't think you've changed. Look at you, you're still whispering 'I love you' for only me to hear and dating other women." She laughed hollowly. "What's so different about that?"_

"_But--_

"_Goodbye, Derek," she said, gazing into his eyes. _

_Almost on cue, the song melded into another, faster, selection and Casey left him standing there._

_He wasn't alone for long though; thirty seconds hadn't passed before Emily was standing in front of him._

"_You're going to have to show Casey that you're not that same boy anymore _before_ she'll take you back, idiot," she told him bluntly. "You can't do it the other way around."_

_Gape-mouthed, Derek asked, "How do you know what I said?"_

"_Duh," she said in a singsong voice, "I can read lips. How else would I have always known everyone's business when we were in high school." She waved her arm in a dismissive gesture. "But that's not important now. We have to concentrate on getting you two masochists back together." _

_Though slightly overwhelmed, he asked, "Got any ideas? I'm open to suggestions."_

_She nodded, smiling. "I'm glad you asked. First," she leaned in, conspiratorially, "loose Rachel; women usually like the guy who is confessing his undying love to them to be single," she said, dryly. _

"_Done." That would be easy enough--Rachel was a little bitchy for his tastes anyway. "What's next?"_

"_Well, you know how in __Top Gun__ Maverick gets his instructor to let him sit down by singing that song to her?" _

"_You want me to sing to Casey?" he asked in response to the expectant look she was giving him. "But I sing like Keanu Reeves acts."_

"_What?" Emily sputtered. "Why would I want you to sing? We're trying to attract Casey, not sending her running for the hills. My point was, you need to make a grand gesture."_

"_Like…"_

"_I supply the headings, you supply the body," she said, shrugging. "You're gonna have to come up with that yourself. But, whatever you do, I wouldn't whisper."_

_Derek got the distinct impression she was laughing at him, but for the time being he decided to ignore it; he'd just gotten an idea._

"_Alright." He grinned. "You go get Casey; makes sure she's in here in five minutes."_

"_Why?"_

"_So she can see her gesture. Duh," he mocked her, smiling._

_OOO_

_Five minutes later Derek was Rachel-less--to say she had taken his abrupt dismissal of her badly, would be quite the understatement--and ready to perform his gesture. He could only hope that the black eye he was sure to get wouldn't develop until after he'd gotten his gesture out the way. Who knew Rachel had a Tyson like right hook?_

_Right on time, Derek saw Emily drag Casey into the room. That was his cue. Hopping onstage, Derek looked over to the DJ, who nodded and stopped the music. _

_Grabbing the mic, he tapped it, making sure he had the crowd's attention, especially Casey's. _

"_I love Casey McDonald," he said, loudly._

_Casey gasped, Emily smiled, and the other two-hundred and ninety-eight people in the room looked at him as if he'd lost his mind._

"_When I say 'love' I don't mean I love her like a sister either." He knew he wasn't exactly being elegant, but he figured at this point it didn't really matter. "I am in love with her."_

_The room took a collective gasp._

"_And I've been in love with her since we were in high school," Derek continued. The facial expressions on some of the people in the crowd were so comically horrified that Derek had the strangest urge to laugh. _

"_You should ask her to marry you," Emily yelled out. She wasn't going to say anything, but Casey still wasn't melting so she decided to help out. _

"_I was getting there; give me a minute," he said, slightly annoyed._

"_Oh," Emily murmured. 'Oops.' _

_Taking a deep breath, he said, "Casey will you marry me?" _

_Now, her first instinct was to refuse. So he'd given the gossipmongers something to talk about for the next week or month, so what? Did that really change how she felt about him, about the way he'd hurt her? _

_Yes, as a matter of fact, it did. _

"_Yes!" she yelled. _

_Jason was forgotten; the crowd was forgotten, well, kind of anyway. All Casey was focused on was making her way towards Derek, towards their future together._

_She'd been wrong. It may have taken ten years, but Derek Venturi had definitely changed. _

"Okay," Emily shrugged, "so maybe that is a nice memory." She smirked. "But I still say you need therapy."

"No, I _need_ to get my husband some Tylenol for his hangover." She gathered her belongings. "So you'll have to finish lecturing me about therapy tonight on the phone."

"I don't lecture; I help," Emily corrected, indignantly.

Casey bent down and kissed her on the cheek. "You're right, you do. Thanks."

**THE END**

**A/N: **I hope this cleared things up.


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